Gun debate cries out for civil discourse

Published: Sunday, January 13, 2013 at 10:40 a.m.

Last Modified: Sunday, January 13, 2013 at 10:40 a.m.

As debate intensifies over legislation or executive action intended to stem the tide of gun violence, people on both sides of the issue are resorting to irrational, misleading hyperbole and emotional arguments.

Some Americans who oppose controls on firearms consider their right to own any weapon, no matter how deadly, “God-given.” The loudest and most bellicose believe the federal government, led by President Barack Obama, wants to take away all weapons as part of a sinister slide toward socialism.

Some gun control advocates, meanwhile, hold the naive belief that government can stop all violence by passing laws to make guns illegal. Many of these folks seem to know little about firearms or the laws regulating them.

We don’t have to look far to see these two extremes. Residents horrified by the brutal slaying of 20 first-graders and six adults at a Connecticut school went before city and county officials asking them to ban assault weapons, and to publicize the names of people who own them.

Their suggestions were met with sometimes hateful comments and thinly veiled threats on the Times-News discussion forum. “Let’s publish (a local gun control advocate’s) address and photo and make doubly sure every inmate and felon gets a copy,” one commentator said. This kind of angry, over-the-top talk does nothing to help prevent future gun tragedies. It’s like the Drudge Report, which ran photos of Hitler and Stalin with the headline “White House Threatens ‘Executive Orders’ on Guns.”

At their extremes, gun control advocates and opponents are both driven by fear. And fear is not a basis for sound policy or decisionmaking. Instead, we need to try to build consensus around common-sense reforms to keep weapons out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill, and try to change our culture’s glorification of violence. Let’s start with some facts.

◆ More than 30,000 Americans die each year due to gun violence. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2009, 31,347 people died from firearm injuries. Nearly 60 percent were a result of suicide, while homicide comprised 37 percent of those deaths.

◆ The United States suffers far more violent deaths than any other wealthy nation, due in part to the widespread possession of firearms and the practice of storing them at home in a place that is often unlocked, according to a report released last week by the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine.

◆ The U.S. has 89 civilian-owned firearms for every 100 Americans, and is home to about 35 to 50 percent of the world’s civilian-owned firearms, but it has not made us safer. “Generally, if you live in a civilized society, more guns mean more death,” said David Hemenway, director of the Harvard Injury Control Research Center, quoted in a New York Times column by Elisabeth Rosenthal, a physician and science reporter. “There is no evidence that having more guns reduces crime. None at all.”

◆ America had 11 mass shootings in 2012 that killed or injured more than 140 people.

This is why we are having this discussion. A madman armed with an assault rifle and highcapacity magazine brutally destroyed 26 lives at an elementary school.

In a few moments of deranged, pure evil, he brought a lifetime of suffering to dozens of families — families who saw Christmas morning come with gifts that would never be opened, their precious children taken from them in a storm of lead.

Yes, this is emotional issue. Our charge is to make changes that make a difference — that actually reduce gun violence and prevent the most deadly weapons from falling into the hands of violent and mentally ill individuals. And, we must respect the constitutional right of people to own firearms to defend themselves and their families.

Put aside the idea that gun laws alone can stop the carnage, or the notion that Obama is coming for your hunting rifles.

If we do anything to honor the children and teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School, and the many others killed or injured by gun violence, it should be this: Try to put yourself in the shoes of your neighbor. Listen, and seek common ground. We owe them this much.

<p>As debate intensifies over legislation or executive action intended to stem the tide of gun violence, people on both sides of the issue are resorting to irrational, misleading hyperbole and emotional arguments.</p><p>Some Americans who oppose controls on firearms consider their right to own any weapon, no matter how deadly, “God-given.” The loudest and most bellicose believe the federal government, led by President Barack Obama, wants to take away all weapons as part of a sinister slide toward socialism.</p><p>Some gun control advocates, meanwhile, hold the naive belief that government can stop all violence by passing laws to make guns illegal. Many of these folks seem to know little about firearms or the laws regulating them.</p><p>We don't have to look far to see these two extremes. Residents horrified by the brutal slaying of 20 first-graders and six adults at a Connecticut school went before city and county officials asking them to ban assault weapons, and to publicize the names of people who own them.</p><p>Their suggestions were met with sometimes hateful comments and thinly veiled threats on the Times-News discussion forum. “Let's publish (a local gun control advocate's) address and photo and make doubly sure every inmate and felon gets a copy,” one commentator said. This kind of angry, over-the-top talk does nothing to help prevent future gun tragedies. It's like the Drudge Report, which ran photos of Hitler and Stalin with the headline “White House Threatens 'Executive Orders' on Guns.”</p><p>At their extremes, gun control advocates and opponents are both driven by fear. And fear is not a basis for sound policy or decisionmaking. Instead, we need to try to build consensus around common-sense reforms to keep weapons out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill, and try to change our culture's glorification of violence. Let's start with some facts. </p><p>◆ More than 30,000 Americans die each year due to gun violence. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2009, 31,347 people died from firearm injuries. Nearly 60 percent were a result of suicide, while homicide comprised 37 percent of those deaths. </p><p>◆ The United States suffers far more violent deaths than any other wealthy nation, due in part to the widespread possession of firearms and the practice of storing them at home in a place that is often unlocked, according to a report released last week by the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine. </p><p>◆ The U.S. has 89 civilian-owned firearms for every 100 Americans, and is home to about 35 to 50 percent of the world's civilian-owned firearms, but it has not made us safer. “Generally, if you live in a civilized society, more guns mean more death,” said David Hemenway, director of the Harvard Injury Control Research Center, quoted in a New York Times column by Elisabeth Rosenthal, a physician and science reporter. “There is no evidence that having more guns reduces crime. None at all.” </p><p>◆ America had 11 mass shootings in 2012 that killed or injured more than 140 people.</p><p>This is why we are having this discussion. A madman armed with an assault rifle and highcapacity magazine brutally destroyed 26 lives at an elementary school.</p><p>In a few moments of deranged, pure evil, he brought a lifetime of suffering to dozens of families — families who saw Christmas morning come with gifts that would never be opened, their precious children taken from them in a storm of lead.</p><p>Yes, this is emotional issue. Our charge is to make changes that make a difference — that actually reduce gun violence and prevent the most deadly weapons from falling into the hands of violent and mentally ill individuals. And, we must respect the constitutional right of people to own firearms to defend themselves and their families.</p><p>Put aside the idea that gun laws alone can stop the carnage, or the notion that Obama is coming for your hunting rifles.</p><p>If we do anything to honor the children and teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School, and the many others killed or injured by gun violence, it should be this: Try to put yourself in the shoes of your neighbor. Listen, and seek common ground. We owe them this much.</p>